The present invention relates to practice aids and systems for assisting persons to improve their swings. More particularly, the present invention relates to practice aids for teaching persons proper alignment when swinging a sporting club or the like. There are many examples of practice aids which are used to hit an object towards a target including the baseball bat, tennis racquet, squash racquet, ping pong paddle, croquet club, etc. However, the training system of the present invention is believed to have particular application to assisting persons in improving their golf swing. The invention is not intended to be limited to golf swing training. Accordingly, the invention is described with particularity for golfing applications.
Golf clubs include a shaft and club head which are used to hit a stationary ball towards a golf course green. The golf club's shaft has a proximal extremity and a distal extremity, and the club head is mounted to the shaft's distal extremity. In most circumstances, the club head is substantially planar and transverse to the target line which extends towards a target.
A successful strike of a golf ball is dependant upon the alignment or orientation of the club head impact surface at the point of contact with the ball. If the impact surface is not perfectly transverse to the target line, then the ball will not travel in an intended direction. During a golf club back swing, it is necessary to rotate your forearms in a clockwise direction (for a right-handed person), and then rotate your forearms in a counterclockwise direction during the forward swing such that the club head arrives at a square position at the point of impact. Such movement of the club head during the back swing, forward swing and follow through, is extremely difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the fact that the club head is traveling at a great velocity makes it extremely difficult to gauge the position of the club head during the swing.
In the past, a great number of devices have been proposed which attempt to indicate the orientation of the club head during a golf swing. Many such devices include the use of a light source that directs a beam of light for representing golf club orientation and golf club swing path. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,149,537 and 6,149,531 describe golf putters which include a laser contraption. A laser diode or the like transmits a beam downwardly from the handle of the club to project a beam of light near the golfer's feet. Swinging the club causes the beam to define and illustrate the golfer's swing path. Optionally, the contraption includes an additional glass rod positioned in front of the laser to project a path of light.
Alternatively, U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,034 describes an apparatus which includes a laser device and a mirror which projects a fan shaped beam along the ground ahead of a club face.
The device is intended to enable a user to see the line of light on the ground as the ball is hit so that the golfer can determine whether the ball is being hit straight, with a hook, or with a slice. U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,991 discloses a device for attachment to an actual golf club. The device transmits a light beam which traces a straight line behind the ball during the back swing and an oppositely directed light beam picks up the same line when the golf club is properly swung as the club approaches the top of the back swing. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,080 describes a golf club which has been modified to include strobing lights which are emitted from the club head's top surface. These strobing lights provide a path of light illustrating the club's angle and path during the golfer's swing. Still an additional golf aid is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,429. This reference describes a laser apparatus which attaches and detaches to a traditional golf putter. A prism is provided so as to project the laser into a path of light as opposed to a mere beam of light. Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/383,481 also describes a golf club including a laser. Using a rotating mirror, the laser produces a plane of light indicating both golf club position and rotation. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/383,481 is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
In addition, specially constructed mats have been developed for use in developing and correcting a person's golf swing. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,592 describes a mat including a plurality of arcuate lines for assisting a person to train their golf swing. A golf club is provided which includes a laser device on the club's proximal extremity for producing a laser beam of light that traverses the mat. By swinging the club so that the laser beam follows the arcuate lines, golfers are taught how to swing the club along a preferred swing path. Somewhat similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,988 describes a shoulder mounted device including two lasers. The lasers are positioned so as to shine beams of light upon the arcuate path shown on a floor mat. By rotating the shoulders so as to repetitively follow the arcuate path on the mat, golfers are taught how to swing the club along a preferred swing path. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,167 describes a golf training system including a mat and golf club with mounted laser. The mat includes two dots supposedly indicating proper club position when the golf club laser strikes the dots.
Unfortunately, though some of the prior swing training systems help identify proper club position or rotation, none of the golf training systems provide for training and correcting a person's swing by identifying proper swing path and proper club position and club rotation through the golf swing.
It is therefore an object of the invention to overcome the above-described disadvantages by providing a swing training system which is inexpensive to manufacture and which can be used in cooperation with a standard sporting club.
It is still an additional object of the invention to provide a golf swing training system which provides an indication of club head orientation and path throughout a golfer's entire back swing, forward swing and follow-through.